When the first revelation was inspired to Muhammad, he, unlike Jeremiah or Isaiah had no established prophetic tradition to console or support him so as to understand the reality of his experience, and its implications. It came on a blessed night 44:3 also referred to as lailatul qadr 97:1, during the month of Ramadan 2:185. The exact date when the night occurs hasnt been specified by the prophet. He purposefully said it is on one of the last 5 odd nights of Ramadan. He could have specified a day but chose not to. The Quran itself does not prescribe the believers to seek that night as a means of getting a "shortcut" to salvation. This creates a yearning in the believers in seeking it, given its spiritual, metaphysical importance. Each one seeks it according to his desire for it, thereby testing his level of spiritual thirst. It is in this test that the blessings of this night are concealed
"Whoever establishes the prayers on the night of Qadr out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah's rewards (not to show off) then all his past sins will be forgiven".
Muhammad went back to Khadija to whom he recounted what had happened. She immediately trusted him and accepted Islam. A slight nuance between Muhammad and Jesus is that while Jesus was opposed by his closest relatives, Muhammad was first and foremost recognized and accepted by his own bosom friends and people of his household. They knew him intimately and would have detected the inconsistent actions and thoughts of a deceiver abroad and at home. This is strongly corroborative of his sincerity. Khadija also appeased his fears for the consequences of having accepted the burden of prophecy with all the religious, social and political changes it implied in this environment of the Age of Ignorance, the Jahiliyya. As the prophet Ezekiel sat bewildered for 7 days among the people without uttering a word Ezek3:15 following a similar shocking first encounter with the revelational experience, so did the prophet Muhammad seek to recuperate ahead of his mission.
Against all political and economical wisdom, his wife Khadija decided to fully support him and relinquish her prestigious status and successful commerce. Muhammad was given the Kawthar 108:1; the term covers the abundance of grace, wisdom and knowledge, mercy and goodness, spiritual power and insight. Through these faculties he was able to achieve, through his works, dignity in this world and in the hereafter, and was able to lead and establish a nation that would bear the torch of truth to the world. Muhammad would receive clear revelations from on high through dreams 8:43, wakefulness 17:1, through the holyspirit 26:193-4.
He then taught Khadija the way to pray until one day his cousin Ali ibn Abu Talib, whose father (Abu Talib, Muhammad's paternal uncle) was poor and thus gave his son to Muhammad's household for better care, saw the Prophet and his wife praying so he learned and became the 2nd Muslim. Then came Zayd, the Prophet's adopted son.
Muhammad went on with his life of solitude not talking about these events outside his household until came to him
26:214"And warn your nearest relations"
just like Ezekiel was pulled out of his silence and told to initiate transmitting God's warnings Ezek3:16-7.
Knowing the magnitude, and implications of the message he had to convey to a wretched nation, Muhammad delayed its delivery until Gabriel came to him again, and this time he gathered 40 of the sons of Abdul Muttalib, among them were his uncles: Abu Talib, Hamza, 'Abbas and Abu Lahab. The latter interrupted Muhammad's speech so he did not get a chance to speak to them. He gathered them again the second day, gave them the good tidings of Allah's blessings to those who would believe in, and help him in his cause. The first to respond and rise his hand was Ali ibn Abu Talib.
Slowly the message spread. During the first three years, he gained only 30 followers so Allah called him to rise and augment his warnings to his whole nation, as his predecessors did
15:94"declare openly what you are bidden and turn aside from the polytheists"
and the method to be employed was
16:125"Call to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and dispute with them in the best way".
This empathetic manner in which the call to religion is to be done has always been the method the prophets were commanded to transmit the message in its first phases
20:43-4"Go both to Firon, surely he has become inordinate; Then speak to him a gentle word haply he may mind or fear".The prophet stood up on the Hijr, a rock next to the Kaaba where he admonished the Meccans, as well as the foreign pilgrims, calling them to believe in the Oneness of Allah 38:65-8 and hasten to moral righteousness before the ushering of a Day of Resurrection from which none can escape. A lengthy and painful process had begun, which would ultimately lead to the restoration of Islam, the way of Ibrahim, the upright one 2:135-136. Muhammad was reviving the true definition of religion; a way of life which contains the good of this world in a manner that ensures perfection of the next life ‑ the life that is the real and eternal one near to Allah.
His uncle and protector, the well respected Abu Talib, was asked by a delegation from the Quraysh to either persuade his nephew to desist from his mission or hand him over to suffer the extreme penalty or be prepared to fight the whole tribe. The pressure was such, Abu Talib asked Muhammad to desist but upon his refusal and determination, he empathised further with his nephew, pledging to keep him under his protection.
So the Prophet kept calling the people to the worship of one God, a request they continuously mocked "Shall we then abandon three hundred and sixty gods and worship only one God?" accusing him of sorcery, among many things 38:4. Though the Meccans objected the idea of a Unique God it was the concept of Resurrection that was totally unacceptable to them, mainly the wealthy men of the Quraysh who clinged desperately to a morally deprived financial and spiritual way of life. They resented the prophet's calls to reform, as it entailed dismantling their worldview entirely
23:70"he has brought them the truth, and most of them are averse from the truth..And should the truth follow their low desires, surely the heavens and the earth and all those who are therein would have perished".
This made them even more resolved in their will to denigrate, corrupt or attempt to make the prophet compromise some of his message with theirs, and hide behind their idols and the traditions of their forefathers. Prior to him, Nuh was rejected on no better grounds than that, what he brought conflicted with his people's inherited habits and ways of life 23:24.
The words of the prophet were not only threatening their life after death, but also their life in this world as he was calling them to stop the oppression of the poor and low classes by the elite. But there was not a day where people did not come to the call of Islam, a call of freedom, freeing men from the bondage of intercession, destroying all obstacles between men and God
2:186"And when My servants ask you concerning Me, then verily I am near, I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he calls on Me, so they should answer My call and believe in Me, so that they may walk in the right way".
As a linguistic observation, this verse has the unique feature that it repeats the first person singular pronoun seven times. It conveys a sense of closeness between Allah and His creatures, and that nothing comes between Him and them
50:16"We created man..and We are nearer to him than his life-vein"8:24"and know that Allah intervenes between man and his heart".
Until Muhammad did not openly attack the idols, he wasnt viewed as a real threat by the Quraysh but when he severely started to condemn Hubal, Lat, Uzza and other idols of the pantheon the matter became different. The Prophet's teachings of equality of man and constant stressing the point that in righteousness alone lay the superiority of one over the other meant the end of the Quraysh's authority and privileges as the guardians of the Kaaba, of their political and social hegemony, and of their vested interests at large.
In this environement where tribal institutions exercised great influence and idols were counted as the most sacred objects, such words attracted much attention, curiosity and hostily. Especially considering that without it being the center of pilgrimage of the idol worshipers of the Arabian Peninsula, attracting trade and wealth, Mecca would be meaningless and the Quraysh would lose their fortune and privileges among the Arabs
28:57"And they say: If we follow the guidance with you, we shall be carried off from our country. What! have We not settled them in a safe, sacred territory to which fruits of every kind shall be drawn?-- a sustenance from Us; but most of them do not know".
Following the event of the israa/mi'raj the Quraysh increased in their opposition and desire to kill Muhammad. But in order to reach him, they had first to get rid of his protectors whose retaliation they feared. Remarkably the prophet, instead of using that factor as a leverage by which to increase his opposition and boldness would tell them that their considerations were mislplaced. Through several stories such as that of the prophet Shuayb whose bloodthirsty enemies feared killing him because of a possible retaliation from his family 11:91, the prophet redirected their attention on what they should truly fear
11:92"He said: O my people! is my family more esteemed by you than Allah? And you neglect Him as a thing cast behind your back; surely my Lord encompasses what you do".
The prophet Shuayb in demonstration of his integrity and selflessness, as well as genuine concern for his addressees, told his opponents, that the correct attitude should be to focus on the far-reaching message, not on the messenger, and avoid turning the issue into a personal dispute
11:89"O my people! let not opposition to me make you guilty so that there may befall you the like of what befell the people of Nuh, or the people of Hud, or the people of Salih, nor are the people of Lut far off from you".
That fear of direct confrontation with the prophet's clan, and the apprehension of igniting intertribal feud that would last for years, did not mean that the Quraysh's desire to end the prophet's preaching by any other mean was over. Instead of attacking him upfront they agreed to ostracise completely the Bani Hashim and Muttalib by organizing a severe social and economic blockade on them, until they hand them over Muhammad.
They also commissioned the most eloquent of their poets to ridicule him, his followers and his message and propagate false rumours on him to all pilgrims coming in and out of the city who were his main audience, as well as in the markets. They maintained that the reason why the Quran appealed to people was not that it was revealed by God but because Muhammad possessed such a strong eloquent expression he could charm the people 21:3. They held that he fabricated the verses of the Quran with the help of some Satanic Jinn and presented these before the people in the garb of divine inspirations. The Quran mentions these charges at various places and then answers them
26:210-212"And the Shaitans have not come down with it. And it behoves them not, and they have not the power to do (it). Most surely they are far removed from the hearing of it".
The words "it behoves them not" imply that Satan would not do something against his own mission. This is the same kind of argument, as was adopted by Jesus in response to the Pharisees in Lk11. Evil forces have no power over it and it shows from the idolators and their jinns' failure to the Quran's repeated challenges to come up with 3 sentences like it. And on the accusations of him being an eloquent and demon possessed poet, the Quran would use simple observation to refute their claims, firstly by pointing to the well known and undisputed upright character of Muhammad
36:69-70"And We have not taught him poetry, nor is it meet for him; it is nothing but a reminder and a plain Quran. That it may warn him who would have life, and (that) the word may prove true against the unbelievers".
The Quran would also contrast those who followed the prophet and those who listened to and followed these kinds of mad, demon possessed poets
26:224-226"And those who are strayed follow the poets. Did you not notice that they wander everywhere? And they say what they practice not".
Not every poet is condemned in this passage. A group is singled out, those who use such powerful media as an instruments of evil and wickedness. Before and during the advent if Islam some of them posted their sexually explicit verses on the walls of the Kaaba. They were highly revered and believed to be under the power of jinns. This type of poetry darkened the people's emotions and intellects, instigated hatred and wars among different parties that had no, to very little points of conflict among eachother. During Islam's early battles, these blood thirsty propaganda machines were rightfully considered combattants like any soldier in a time where threats and treason were coming from all side against the nascent Muslim community, aiming at its extinction. The verse raises also the point that those who followed these poets had a sinful nature, because of the nature of the poems the likes of those of Imrul-Qays, and what these poems incited in their hearts. Those who were captivated by the Quran's eloquence on the other hand, were a different kind of people. What the prophet recited was more than poetic lofty thoughts, or some predictions like those of the sooth-sayers, but none could perceive its wisdom other than those who opened their hearts to it 10:1-2.
As a side note, demon possession, a calumny among many others that the prophet Muhammad and prophets before him, including Jesus, were charged with was unrelated to the satanic verses polemic. It was in relation to what his opponents perceived as the Quran's supernatural eloquence. They werent ready to accept that it could come from a human, much less from God, so they settled for demonic agents.
Seeing that their smearing campaign was failing, the Quraysh appealed to the services of Nadr ibn al Harith. He did not rise up by himself and begin his public defamation. He was learned in the history, religion, wisdom, theories of good and evil, cosmology, and other literature of the Persians. He would stand up after Muhammad's speeches, calling the people to the Persian religions. He convinced the Quraysh this was the only way they could try defeating his purpose in public. Just as with Moses before, their vilification campaign stood no ground considering the nature of the message and the message bearer himself, him being known for his moral integrity prior to beginning his mission. That factor alone gave him an immesurable advantage from the point of view of credibility, over anyone else who would try competing with him and pass off his speeches as genuine divine teachings.
The poets of Quraysh, failing to classify Muhammad and what he was reciting in any of the known mystical, demonic or oral phenomena, thus agreed on calling him a magician whose craft was eloquence that by means of eloquent words he was capable of dividing the man against his father, his brother, his spouse and his own tribe 46:7,21:3,34:43,54:2,74:24,10:76,11:7,37:15. The fact is that truth always causes a separation ultimately as seen in the nations and families of the prophets of old, from Nuh who had to abandon his own disbelieving son to be taken by the deluge, to Ibrahim who left his disbelieving father, Lut who left his wife behind him as the town was about to be destroyed etc, and the same is related in the scriptures of old, from the HB to the NT
Micah7:6,Matt30:21-36"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved..Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law a man's enemies will be the members of his own household".
Just as the moral reforms brought by Jesus and Muhammad were met with the staunchest opposition, so was the Book given to Musa
11:110-112"And certainly We gave the book to Musa, but it was gone against; and had not a word gone forth from your Lord, the matter would surely have been decided between them; and surely they are in a disquieting doubt about it. And your Lord will most surely pay back to all their deeds in full; surely He is aware of what they do. Continue then in the right way as you are commanded.."
Reciting and listening to the Quran became forbidden but nonetheless, many Quraysh would listen to it in secret, captured by the vivid imagery, metaphors, parables and appeal to the emotions which rendered the realm of the Unseen such as the Hereafter or the Resurrection recognizable to the senses. The impact on their psyche was such, that it moved them internally to listen further, giving their full attention, and eventually convert. This growing popularity added to the deeply rooted sentiment of jealousy so common among the desert Arabs of the time. Some of their most influential men found themselves listening for 3 nights in a row to the recitation of the Quran.
But these Qurayshi elite, like most corrupt leaders in a society, were instinctively distrustful of all things human. Further, they neglected the dual aspect of their own nature, one that is worldly, and the other connected to the divine, placed into every human being by God "and breathed into him of His spirit". It is therefore natural that God would maintain and nurture that connection with Him, by making His will known to mankind. But due to their skepticism of human nature, they resisted the notion of God, the master of all things, connecting with a mere human being from their midst, who walks the markets, eats food, mingles with the poor, lives the simplest life, and yet is tasked with guiding mankind. Instead such messenger should be a more noble creation, which to them were angels
10:2,12:109,14:10,21:7-8,23:33,47,25:7,20,64:6,41:14"If our Lord had pleased He would certainly have sent down angels, so we are surely unbelievers in that with which you are sent".
Ironically, the Quran states that mankind was honoured above the angels and is thus certainly elligible to be connected to the divine realm, as pledged to Adam 20:123,38:71-2. Besides pointing to their humanity, the "walking in the market places" highlights that such individuals are warners to large communities, not to isolated people. When messengers are selected to reform a community, they always are from the same nature and general experience as that community. This helps prevent idolizing the messengers, as occurred with a single one of them, Jesus. And thus we find that when non-human messengers are sent among the humans, it is either to a select few individuals, or to execute God's punishment on a nation.
In denial of these realities known long before Muhammad was sent among them 21:7, the Arabs would request from their prophet, who never claimed to be anything more than a mortal 11:31, that he should be able to bend the forces of nature at will and upon request. What they were asking was irrelevant to the purpose of an envoy from God, which is to convey what he is inspired of warnings and glad tidings
17:90-3"Glory be to my Lord; am I aught but a mortal apostle?"
This line of reasoning is common among most people of every age. It is the most prominent objection levelled against a human being claiming to be God's messenger. Such scepticism is so prevalent that even those who become these prophets' followers often end up over-exalting and idolizing them
17:94"And nothing prevented people from believing when the guidance came to them except that they said: What! has Allah raised up a mortal to be an apostle?".
A message of deep social reform and introspection cannot come to a community other than through someone from their midst to whom they can relate to and trust, one that can transmit the message in a manner they can understand
"Had there been in the earth angels walking about as settlers, We would certainly have sent down to them from the heaven an angel as an apostle".
That is why had God sent angels among the humans as prophets, He would have made them appear as human beings 6:9 and had angels been settled on the earth instead of humans, then angelic prophets would have been sent to them from among themselves, like what has been done with the humans 17:95. This way the addressees' focus remains on the message itself rather than the message bearer.
The humanity of the messenger is proof of God's honouring mankind, which is a way of removing the negative outlook of many cultures and religions on human nature. God chooses those He deems fit to be in contact with the Source of creation. It gives hope to the remaining ones who believe, that they can emulate that selected human being who is of the same essence as themselves, and rise to high stations of spiritual eminence
2:151-2,3:164"Certainly Allah conferred a benefit upon the believers when He raised among them a Messenger from among themselves, reciting to them His communications and purifying them, and teaching them the Book and the wisdom, although before that they were surely in manifest error".If the messenger couldnt be a supernatural being, they began arguing from the angle of political and social eminence; why didnt God send His revelation to the noblest of men among them or those of great standing? Why were they, the people of influence, at least not informed personally by God that a prophet would be raised among them or given a share in this revelation 6:124,17:93,43:31,74:52? Those objections were meant at excusing their rejection of the reforming system brought by the prophets 6:7. As the rejecters of old, even if every one of their requests were granted they would still deny, as Jesus laments in the NT Mk8:11-13.
They would further object, how can one sent by the Lord of the universe present himself in such humble fashion instead of displaying all the signs of grandeur ambassadors of great personalities and kingdoms are usually sent with 43:51-3? In their limited and materialistic mindframe they associated worldly riches with wisdom and being approved by the divine
43:31"And they say: Why was not this Quran revealed to a man of importance in the two towns?".
It was the same objection levelled against Nuh, Hud, Salih, Moses
23:24,33-34,14:10-11,43:53,64:6,13:38"And certainly We sent messengers before you and gave them wives and children, and it is not in (the power of) an messenger to bring a sign except by Allah's permission; for every term there is an appointment".
Similarly the NT in Matt13 reports the Pharisees' amazement upon seeing wisdom and miracles bestowed upon someone of such humble origins as Jesus. They rejected his prophethood out of jealousy and pride at the idea of being taught by someone of humble origins "And they took offense at him". Jesus answers them with the universal truth that a prophet is generally honoured everywhere but in his hometown, as was the case with the prophet Muhammad 50:2.
The prophet's unabated opposition to this corrupt thought system added greatly to the anxiety and despair of the Quraysh. Their life of privileges blinded their judgement, they could not accept the principle that God is not bound to any group, does not belong to the east or west, does not close His bounties to anyone and does not define the people's merit based on gender, race or social achievements, but on fulfilment of duties towards their fellow men, sincerity in thought and action, uprightness and God-consciousness
43:32"and the mercy of your Lord is better than what they amass".
Despite his uncle Abu Talib's protection many converts were tortured or killed. History has recorded several examples of early Muslim martyrs and victims of tortures. Yasir and his wife Sumayyah were laid down naked on the burning desert sand, with ironnail on their body. The heat made the nails burn their skins until they were murdered by Abu Jahl. Fearing for his life, their son Ammar denied being a Muslim in front of the pagans but expressed great remorse to the Prophet. It was the first instance of "taqiya", sanctioned by the verse 16:106. Abu Bakr was tied up and emprisonned under the eyes of his tribe of Taym when he accepted Islam. Bilal, the Ethiopian slave, was tortured and burdened with heavy stones on his chest, in the desert by his master because of his conversion. Abdullah ibn Masud, the known companion, was beaten until he could not stand, because of reciting the Quran close to the pagans at the Kaaba. There is a mass of historical data recorded in original sources about the names and numbers of persons put to physical torture, the names of their tormentors and the manner of their physical torture and persecution. The extent of the suffering endured by the Muslims during this period was such that even some idol worshipers Meccans would try and help the Muslims, out of pitty such was the case of Hisham ibn Amr who would go secretly to the quarter where the Muslims were isolated at night, with a camel loaded with food and release it there.
The main problem the Meccans had, as stated earlier, was that they saw in this new monotheistic religion a profound challenge to their religious, economic and political power. Islam meant the end of trade, which depended on the pilgrims’ visits, and this in turn would lead to the Meccans loosing the honour they held among the Arab tribes. The Quran reflects that reality by alluding to the elite of past nations to whom prophets were sent and who always resisted any change so as to maintain the established order they benefited from. The Quran plainly states that spiritual reform inevitably involves economic sacrifices. During the advent of Islam, the new converts were reassured that these sacrifices due to the temporary loss of trade and prestige of Mecca would be restored.
In response to such persecutions, the Prophet remained steadfast and persevered, urging his companions to emulate his forbearance as commanded by God
16:125"Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious.."6:108"And do not abuse those whom they call upon besides Allah, lest exceeding the limits they should abuse Allah out of ignorance".
He did not even label his people as unbelievers until sura Kafirun which signalled that the truth had been communicated to an extent that his addressees were left with no excuse to deny it.
At the peak of Muslim persecution, Abu Talib had no alternative but to make his nephew Muhammad, along with his followers, retreat into a ravine belonging to him, in a montain trail adjacent to Jannatul Maala. They were made to undergo the most acute hardships and privations for 3 years so much so that at times they had nothing but tree leaves to eat and stop hunger. They came out twice a year from that ravine: in the months of Rajab and Dhul-Hijjah, when every type of violence was taboo according to the Arabian custom. If any relative sent them any food, and the news leaked out, that relative was exposed and insulted by the Quraysh. Thanks to her business connections, Khadija managed to smuggle food sometimes but that source soon tarried out as she became more isolated.
The only thing that still prevented the die-hard disbelievers from the Quraysh to wage a full scale war on Muhammad and his followers was the honour and dignity of his protector Abu Talib. For this reason he kept the Quraysh in suspense about his true belief in order not to undermine his status. He invited all his clan to follow Muhammad and constantly praised his trustfulness but always refrained from openly declaring his Islam. Even on his death-bed, he announced his faith in such a way that the Quraysh could not understand what he meant. When they asked him on which religion he was dying, he replied
"On the religion of my forefathers".
His forefathers being, Ibrahim and Ismail.
In these circumstances, it was very improbable that the Messenger would one day prevail over his enemies; however, the Quran in every situation assured him that he is the messenger of God, guided in every step like the prophets of old as they were sent to confront powerful transgressors with the Truth 40:53 and, in spite of all this antagonism, God will have him prevail over his enemies
61:8-9"They desire to put out the light of Allah with their mouths but Allah will perfect His light, though the unbelievers may be averse. He it is Who sent His Messenger with the guidance and the true religion, that He may make it overcome the religions, all of them, though the polytheists may be averse".
In a universe created with Truth, falsehood is ultimately bound to vanish and only true light remain, as reflected in the Hebrew Bible in
Prov13:9"The light of the righteous will rejoice, but the candle of the wicked will ebb away".
The days of the messengers are a demonstration of this higher reality. Allah calls it His sunna/way that His word through His messengers/rusul must prevail over falsehood
40:51,58:20-21"Surely (as for) those who are in opposition to Allah and His Messenger; they shall be among the most abased. Allah has written down: I will most certainly prevail, I and My messengers; surely Allah is Strong, Mighty".
That abasement and destruction must be inflicted in this world as well as the next on the rejecters and violent opponents of divinely appointed messengers 58:5. It might occur through natural calamities as with Nuh, Hud, Saleh or Shuayb, or by delivering a nation to the mercy of foreign assailants as was the case with the Israelites who were destroyed by pagans and then subjugated to Jesus' followers. It may be done through the believers themselves as under Musa or Muhammad 9:14. In all cases, the righteous in a nation, those that chose to stand by their prophets, are spared this fate and made to rise high above their enemies
3:137-9,10:103,11:58,117,20:77,21:71-7,27:48-58,30:47"and helping the believers is ever incumbent on Us"6:65"He has the power that He should send on you a chastisement from above you or from beneath your feet, or that He should throw you into confusion, (making you) of different parties; and make some of you taste the fighting of others. See how We repeat the communications that they may understand".
Nobody thought that one day, all these warnings would come to fruition, that Muhammad would remove the Quraysh's grip from the custodianship of the Kaaba and Mecca. However, when they drove him out of Mecca, the Quran prophecied in no uncertain terms, the imminent fall of these unworthy custodians of the universal House of monotheism, not only because of having failed in their responsibility by polluting it with polytheism but also because of hindering those who desire to worship the One God on its soil, residents and alien alike 22:25,108:1-3. The Quran mentioned each and every phase of the prophet's mission with great clarity: Mecca will be conquered and he will see from his very eyes his people entering the folds of Islam in multitudes 110:1-3. These were not the words of a human being which had all the chances of not materializing. They were the words of God which were spoken by His messenger and they became part of history.
So the Prophet continued his preaching during the months of pilgrimage, where fighting was forbidden. After spending 3 years in the ravine, Muhammad was told by Gabriel that the document containing the will of the 40 leading men of Quraysh, regarding the sanctions imposed on the Muslims, as well as their respective seals and which was hanged on the side of the Kaaba had its contents erased. Abu Talib took Muhammad out of the ravine and they confronted the Quraysh who were astonished at seeing their words erased and their seals intact. It was the custom to place all treaties or pacts in the Kaaba so that the gods be taken as witnesses and might punish those covenanters who violated their promises. Some of them dispersed without saying a word and others accepted to lift the sanctions. Thus, the Muslims left the ravine at once.
A few months later, Abu Talib died. His testimony in his last moments revealed the reason why he would never give up supporting his nephew. As a noble man of high character, he could not give up on someone who was persecuted for standing up for the weakest, truthful, steadfast on the virtuous principles he was expressing, and just in all circumstances whether before or after his mission
"I advise that you treat Muhammad well, because amongst you, he is a man of the highest morals. He possesses distinction among the Arabs on account of his truthfulness and straightforwardness. If you ask the truth, he has brought a message to us which the tongue rejects but the heart accepts. I have stood by Muhammad a lifetime and have stepped forward to protect him in all times of difficulty, and if I receive more time, I shall continue to do so in the future as well. And O Quraish! I also advise you not to insist upon causing him grief, but help him and support him, for your betterment lies in this".
The sufferings and privations of those three years had taken their toll. Khadijah also died soon after in the same year, it was "the year of sorrow" (aam ulhuzn) with two grave occurrences which the Messenger of Allah had to endure. He was now left with no helpers and protectors, and would seek refuge from those trying to kill him among the Arab tribes coming to Mecca for their pilgrimage but none accepted, seeing how his own people of Quraysh abandoned him. The tribe of Banu Amir imagined that they could assume a position of leadership should the cause of Muhammad triumph. But when he told them, against all political wisdom that the matter is wholly in Allah's hands, they turned away and repudiated his call like the rest.
Stripped of his protection and seeing how the Meccans remained heedless, Muhammad undertook a trip to the tribe of Thaqif from the city of Ta'if but there too, the notables after hearing him, rejected him, in addition inciting their people to stone and shun him. He went away and sat under a tree, in a garden nearby. There he saw 2 men from Thaqif. Fearing they will aggress him, he got ready to leave but they sent him their servant, a man from Nineveh to give him food.
"So you are from the city of the righteous man Yunus (Jonah) son of Mitts (Matthew)"
the Prophet said.
Muhammad went on telling this servant of his prophethood and message, until he kneeled before him and accepted Islam. His masters confronted him "Let him not tempt you away from your Christianity, for he is a deceitful man". When Muhammad went back to Mecca, the news of his expedition to Thaqif increased the hostility of the Quraysh, sending him hiding again to nearby ravine, waiting for the pilgrimage. From there, he sent messengers in search of a protector who would allow him performing the rites. Mut`im responded, giving him an escort of 10 armed men, although he was not a Muslim. After a day he lifted his protection at the Prophet's request who could not bear depending on a polytheist. In the mean time, the Meccan pagans kept stirring up the ignorant against him and his followers through a smearing campaign, saying he is a magician, a sorcerer, a madman, a forger, a bewitched poet or demon possessed. Anything that could falsely discredit him was unashamadely propagated.
With the new converts devoid of protection, many faced extermination or apostasy. Their endurance reached its limits and persecution became unbearable. In the year 614 the Prophet sent a small group of Muslims escorted by Ja'far son of Abu Talib to Abyssinia to live under the protection of the Negus. This was the first Hijrah (Migration) in Islam and fifteen people took part in it, they are referred to in 16:41. Further migrations led to intensified persecution of those left behind. To further thwart that regroupement, the Quraysh sent a delegation with gifts to the Abyssinian King, asking for the deportation of the Muslim migrants. They were not even ready let them live in peace in other lands.
The Christian King asked the reason for this relentless persecution, the Quraysh answered
"They have opposed us in our religion and the religion of our forefathers and insulted our gods"
Ja'far ibn Abu Talib, the brother of Ali replied that all Muhammad was asking his people was abandoning the worship of other gods than Allah, stop all kinds of immoral acts and traditions, including chance games, abusing the weak, senseless cycles of revenge and infanticide, adultery, usury, that he enjoined decency and good works, including kindness to relatives and neighbours, prayers and almsgiving. The King recognized the essence of Jesus' teachings and asked Ja'far to recite a passage from the Quran. He recited sura Maryam, which impacted the King that he honoured the Muslims with increased hospitality.
The emigrants later returned due to local instability of the Negus' kingdom, heavily criticized for his closeness to foreigners of another faith. The Muslims judged it more appropriate to leave and avoid causing their noble host more problems. Their decision was facilitated by more favourable conditions in Mecca, following Umar alKhattab's conversion.
The complete refusal of the Meccans to heed the calls of the prophet made him turn more and more to the passing tribes, and pilgrims therefore spreading his word to the four corners of the Peninsula. Delegations were sent to inquire about the rise of a prophet. Whether they returned convinced or not, they contributed to spreading the prophet's fame. In the year 622, 6 men from the Khazraj tribe of Yathrib (former name of Medina) came to Mecca for their pilgrimage and to seek an alliance against their ennemies of the tribe of Aws. The Quraysh refused allying with them explaining they had to take care first of the rise of Islam which was breaking their unity. The men of Khazraj inquired further on this movement led by Muhammad. What they heard convinced them that he was the awaited prophet of the Jews, living among them in Medina, who would make them prevail over both their tribe of Khazraj and their ennemies of Aws. They decided to wait for him when he would come out of the ravine to perform the pilgrimage. The Quraysh tried discrediting him, telling them to ignore his preaching and recital of the Quran. But as they met him and heard him recite, they became convinced of what the Jews of an-Nadir, Qurayzah and Qaynuqa used to tell them
"this is that very Prophet about whose prophethood the Jews used to warn us. All relations between us and our brothers of the Aws tribe are cut off. If Allah were to re-establish them by means of you, we would find no one more honoured than you".
They met with the Prophet at the `Aqabah (a mountain pass outside Mecca) where they embraced Islam and swore allegiance to him. This was the First Pledge of 'Aqabah. Upon their return to Yathrib, they invited the rest of their tribe to Islam as well as their brothers from the tribe of Aws. And so these 2 tribes accepted to grant protection to the Muslims of Mecca against the persecution of the Quraysh.
Muslims had to gradually flee Mecca for Yathrib, where their community was growing. The Quraysh tried to prevent this regroupement by all means, as they did for the first migration, even taking their wives hostage.
Later, a large group of people from the Khazraj and Aws tribes came to Mecca for their pilgrimage, some of them had accepted Islam and others kept their old religion. They met with the Prophet at the `Aqabah, and under the exhortation of 'Abbas the prophet's uncle who was not a Muslim yet, they pledged him full allegiance against the Quraysh. This pledge is known as the Second Pledge of 'Aqabah and the Yathribites present became known as the Ansar. The Ansar immediately proposed to launch a surprise assault on the Quraysh and avenge the Prophet's long years of persecution but he refused, as his mission was not to conquer or for personal vengeance and gains. This is the time, as a side note, around which the city of Yathrib was renamed by the growing Muslim community as Madinatul nabi/the city of the prophet (later only Madina/Medina was retained). In the course of prophetic history, there is at least one other such recorded occurrence of a city being renamed after that of a prophet following his success in it; Jerusalem was nicknamed the city of David 1Chr11:5-7.
The Quraysh learned about the alliance the next morning, as well as of the spread of Islam in Medina. They assembled their notables, among them Abu Jahl, Abu Lahab, Abu Sufyan, and 'Utbah in the House of Assembly (Daru'n-Nadwah). They concluded they had to kill the prophet in his sleep before he could migrate and join the Muslims of Medina that eagerly awaited his arrival.
Although it is to be noted the success of a prophet's preaching or the small number of his followers is irrelevant to his truthfulness, Noah or Jesus being prime examples of limited success, the prophet nevertheless did gain an exponential following prior to his migration. As already mentioned this was the reason his opponents wanted him dead and the reason he had no choice but make the painful decision to leave his homeland.
Now it became obvious that the people of Mecca were refusing the Prophet's call out of sheer obstinacy. Truth had been unveiled to them in its ultimate form and all objections were answered with sense and reason by the revelations. Muhammad was ordered to leave the city and openly declare his renunciation and dissociation from the idolators' fate
109:1-6"Say: O unbelievers! I do not serve that which you serve, Nor do you serve Him Whom I serve: Nor am I going to serve that which you serve, Nor are you going to serve Him Whom I serve: You shall have your religion and I shall have my religion".
Muhammad did not get frustrated at his people's obstinacy. The more they evaded his calls, the more he persevered until it became clear that any further insistance would lead to him being seriously harmed. Consequently, the Prophet at this stage addressed them by a name which aptly described their deeds, and on divine bidding, he declared complete and utter dissociation from them.
The assembly of Quraysh notables decided to attack the prophet collectively in order to escape the vendetta of Banu Hashim. 15 men from various clans were chosen, among whom was Abu Lahab, the Prophet's uncle. They all surrounded the Prophet's house, at night
8:30"And remember when the unbelievers plotted against you to imprison you, or to kill you, or to drive you out, they plotted and planned and Allah, too, planned".
The prophecy of their stratagem, their failure and subsequent divine punishment are paralleled with the story of Salih whose people plotted to kill him. God destroyed those that plotted against him, as well as the remaining disbelievers, while he and his followers were kept safe from harm 27:45-51. The treacherousness of a people, including a prophet's own family and close circle, their plans to murder him or sabotage his mission, is the kind of opposition prophets often faced, Jeremiah being a prime biblical precedent Jer11:18-23,12:6etc.
Muhammad asked Ali to sleep in his bed and cover himself with his mantle. Gabriel ordered Muhammad to depart while reciting from sura Yasin
36:9"And We have made before them a barrier and a barrier behind them, then We have covered them over so that they do not see".
The prophet was sorely distressed on leaving Mecca where the temple built by his forefather Ibrahim was standing, but at every step, he was assured of the way of Allah as regards the prevailing of the messengers
47:13"And how many a town which was far more powerful than the town of yours which has driven you out: We destroyed them so there was no helper for them".
He was guided to Mount Thawr on the way to Mina, where he met Abu Bakr and hid in a cave. At the break of dawn, the Quraysh entered his home and found Ali sleeping in his bed, so they rushed towards the mountain, following his tracks. As they reached the cave where he was hiding, all they found was the entrance blocked with a spider web. They concluded that he must have gone another way.
The Quraysh had announced a prize of 100 camels to whosoever would bring back Muhammad to Mecca
8:30"And when those who disbelieved devised plans against you that they might confine you or slay you or drive you away; and they devised plans and Allah too had arranged a plan; and Allah is the best of planners"9:40"If you will not aid him, Allah certainly aided him when those who disbelieved expelled him, he being the second of the two, when they were both in the cave, when he said to his companion: Grieve not, surely Allah is with us. So Allah sent down His tranquillity upon him and strengthened him with hosts which you did not see, and made lowest the word of those who disbelieved; and the word of Allah, that is the highest; and Allah is Mighty, Wise."
After 3 days, God permitted him to come out. He met a shepherd who knew the terrain and could take him and Abu Bakr to Medina where the Muslims were eagerly awaiting him. But the news of his escape and the consequent reward for his capture had widely spread. Prize hunters went after him, among them Suraqah who almost captured the Prophet. But when he reach him, his horses' legs sank in the sand. Suraqah interpreted this as a Divine Sign and pledged allegiance to Muhammad. He went to the Quraysh and covered Muhammad's tracks by saying he couldnt find him. After a while on the torturous road, walking on the burning desert sand they stopped at Qudayd where they were sheltered by a woman called Umm Ma'bad. She had no food to offer them, and the only goat she had could not produce milk. The Prophet insisted on milking it and the milk flowed copiously. He gave the woman to drink, then his companions and finally he had his share "The one who gives others to drink, must himself be the last to drink" he said.
Eventually the prophet made it to Medina, where he was cheerfully received. This is the Hijra, a common pattern among God's greatest prophets who fled their homes for the sake of their faith 29:26. 13 years after the 1st revelation, 13 years of enduring all type of emotional and physical oppression at the hands of the rejecters of faith
28:85"Most surely He Who has made the Quran binding on you will bring you back to the destination".
During these years Muhammad succeeded in forming a group of around 200 Meccan followers, who firmly believed in the new message and rejected everything which was connected with the pre-islamic era of the Jahiliyya. To this small group, as well as the early Medinite converts, the Quran caused such intense spiritual revival that, those who had to leave their lives behind for the sake of their new faith did not hesitate following the footsteps of Ibrahim or Lut 19:48-49,29:26 while those who already lived in the safety of Medina transformed their inherited ways so as to follow the new code of life in all of its aspects.
As alluded to earlier, exile from the homeland for spiritual reasons is the pattern of the greatest names among the prophets. Abraham left idolatrous Iraq and his hometown of Ur that opposed his preaching, for Canaan. Moses left Egypt with the enslaved Israelites who could not freely worship, for Canaan so as to establish their religion. Jesus, whose preaching was repeatedly rejected in his hometown of Nazareth, did not cease traveling from town to town as an itinerant preacher, with very little success. Finally Muhammad, who gained a considerable following in his hometown of Mecca but could not root out sinfulness and idolatry in it, and thus had to emigrate to neighbouring Medina before his triumphant return and establishment of Islam at the holy city. On a more general note, believers of all times are obliged to forsake the domain of evil and to "migrate unto God", to a place where it is possible to live in accordance with one's faith 29:56.
Several years after the passing away of the Prophet, that hijra would be marked as the start of the Islamic calendar by the second caliph.
The city was now called Medina-tul-nabi. The arrival of the prophet marked the true beginning of the spreading of Islam throughout Arabia. Now the outnumbered Muslim community had to remain patient and united and get ready to defend their religion with all their might and resources against internal sabotage planned by the pagan tribes allied with the Jews and the Christians; the believers had not only to refute their arguments, but also to neutralize their subterfuges, as well as those of their spies that infiltrated the community, and the half-hearted Muslims, aiming at demoralizing them. If they stood firm by their faith and encouraged one another to righteousness, they would succeed. The threat was constant, day and night that the early Muslim community never lay down to sleep except with their weapons with them.
The inhabitants of the city which was now called Medina, some of them having never seen the Prophet, started breaking the idols they had in their houses. There, the Prophet implemented the teachings of Islam practically and the number of converts increased rapidly
"And you see people entering the religion of Allah in troops".
It was a natural outcome resulting from the perfect combination of Islamic principles and politics.
The Prophet laid the foundation of Islamic brotherhood in Medina 49:10, uniting all rival clans and tribes 3:103That achievement in the context of ancient Arabian tribal life, was nothing short of miraculous
8:62-3"..It is He who supported you with His help and with the believers. And brought together their hearts. If you had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have brought their hearts together; but Allah brought them together. Indeed, He is Exalted in Might and Wise".
Anyone familiar with the culture of pride, honor and vendetta of the Arabs understands the force of that statement; the manner in which deeply ingrained hatred and hostility were replaced by a bond of common interest, love and spirituality is proof of the transforming power of the message of Islam. That achievement allowed an atmosphere of hospitality and comfort to be extended to the new converts who fled to the city for refuge and who had lost relatives at the hands of the Meccans, as well as their wealth and property, for what they believed to be the Supreme Truth. The Quran strengthened this bond between the Meccan Muhajirun and the Medinite Ansar by calling them to be patient and help each other in patience. In this way, their strength is enhanced, their resolve doubled
3:200"be patient and help each other in patience and remain lined up/raabitu".
The term implies linking up with one another in all affairs, in time of ease as well as in difficulties.
Based on the Quran's repeated stress on indiscriminate worldly and heavenly justice, the prophet was able to establish a strong bond between the Muslims regardless of their social status, gender, race or kinship, on the reality that only righteousness in deeds and God-consciousness/taqwa are of lasting value 2:221,4:1,135,5:48,25:77,34:37,42:23,49:13. The distinctive Islamic greeting became a symbol of that reciprocal sense of good will 4:86. The prophet embodied what he preached when he refused to adopt any of the appearances of power, authority or kingship 6:50. Abundant examples are found in the ahadith. His relationship with his addressees was that of a compassionate brother, in the manner of prophets gone before him the likes of Hud, Saleh or Shuayb 11:50,61,84. He brought down the class system, as echoed in the Quran's condemnation of Firon's oppression of the Israelites, tormented and deprived of their rights 28:4.
That notion extended beyond the regular members of society, with the Quran underlining that Muhammad was no more than a messenger, the seal in a long line 33:40, sent with the truth of clear warnings and glad tidings, like the messengers of old 35:24,53:56. He is solely responsible to deliver the message 27:92, not seeking any worldly reward for it 38:86. He does not master divine knowledge except as Allah pleases 7:188. The believers are reminded it was not a favour from Muhammad that they found the straight path for he is nothing more than a vessel out of whom revelation could be taken away at anytime 17:86-7,49:17. This religion is a favour from their God who
62:2,3:164"conferred a benefit upon the believers when He raised among them a Messenger from among themselves, reciting to them His communications and purifying them, and teaching them the Book and the wisdom, although before that they were surely in manifest error".
It materialized Ibrahim and Ismail's prayers after passing their trials and raising the foundations of the Kaaba 2:129. It is a pure favour, done for the sole benefit of mankind and the manner in which it is received does not in the least add or demote from God's glory
4:170"O' mankind! the Messenger has came to you with the truth from your Lord; then believe (in him), it is good for you And if you disbelieve, still, to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth, and Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise".
Contrary to Christians who went to such extent in their over-exaltation of their prophet that, in the absence of a birthday for Jesus went searching in the pagan calendar for a date to artificially ascribe as Jesus' birthday, the Muslims do not celebrate their prophet's birth or death. The importance is focused on the message and this is why we celebrate the only month mentioned by name in the Quran, that of Ramadan. We gratefully fast, which is a symbol of self sacrifice, in remembrance of God's sending in this month, a guiding light for all of mankind, to the heart of His prophet on a night of Ramadan, the Night of Destiny/laylatul Qadr.
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